TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® was founded on the belief that we could make a difference in people’s lives. And we think our blog will, too! Everyone’s story is different. Whether you’ve established a career in real estate, insurance, sales, finance, you own a small business currently, or you’re a recent grad, we celebrate you! Our hope is to inspire people to seize their dreams of owning their own business.

Moving People Forward® is what we do here at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®, and that extends well beyond the outstanding customer service we provide to our customers daily.

For the third consecutive year, current managers in the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system participated in Mary Ellen’s Moving People Forward® Scholarship Program, which is designed to give current managers a chance to participate in learning exercises and assignments throughout the year and at the end of the program, one winner will be chosen to partner with their current franchisees to own their own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchise. Last summer, three managers were picked to participate in the program and after a year of extensive training in sales, human resources, customer service, and fiscal responsibility, we’re proud to announce Robbie Barnes from the Greenville, S.C., location as this year’s winner!

“We could not be more excited to award Robbie and name him as a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisee,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® President Randy Shacka. “This program and Robbie’s advancement throughout our system is what this brand is all about. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is truly dedicated to moving people forward and providing that next opportunity. Robbie seized the opportunities that were present to him, utilized the support of his mentors, and took in every resource available to grow both personally and professionally to reach that next level.”

Barnes was awarded a check for $50,000 to go toward the purchase of his new franchise, which will be located in Beaufort, S.C., and is set to open March 2018.

Barnes joined the system in June of 2013 as an operations manager at the Greenville location working under Franchisees Bryan and Rebecca Feldman, and has shown what it takes to make that next step and own his own TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® location.

“He is incredibly dedicated to the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® system,” said Rebecca Feldman. “He has worked hard to learn about the new or additional areas of the business. Throughout the past year, he has taken everything he has learned and brought it back to our franchise and shared ideas on how to make us better. Robbie has taken this very seriously, and made the most of the opportunity.”

His commitment to the brand overall and his dedication to the job were evident each and every day he came into work at the Greenville location, and his fellow employees took notice. The Feldman’s believe this will translate well into his new role, and know he will be able to adjust accordingly.

“First and foremost, this shows his hard work and dedication,” Feldman said. “Each person in our franchise has been there for Robbie and helped him in any way that we could. As franchisees, Bryan and I want to move people forward, and we were excited for Robbie to participate in the scholarship program. His participation not only helped him on his own journey, it also helped our franchise improve, and has shown our other employees the many opportunities our franchise system provides.”

Barnes was surprised at the Greenville location on Wednesday, September 6, by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Founder Mary Ellen Sheets, President Randy Shacka, and fellow employees to receive the good news that he was this year’s scholarship winner, and was presented with a $50,000 check.

“Truly, I couldn’t do it without Bryan and Rebecca,” Barnes said thanking everyone at the event. “I mean they truly have been the backbone of everything I’ve done here, and all of the office staff here. I think I asked a million questions throughout the time, and we all worked together.”

Almost instantly after learning he had won the scholarship, Barnes’ leadership qualities were put on display, as he was called to duty by the National Guard to go help with hurricane relief. Barnes coincidentally was working in Beaufort – the town where his new franchise will be located – and he was excited for another chance to give back to this country.

His military background and training have taught him tremendous skills over the years, and he feels these qualities can translate well as he becomes a new franchisee.

“The chances I’ve had to be in leadership positions and see other leaders, how they operate – the key thing is you learn and take away things from everybody,” Barnes said. “If you’re not learning, you’re not growing. So you learn the examples of good leadership and bad leadership, and then you can form how you think the best way to lead is.”

Years of hard work from Barnes led to this moment as he tried to take it all in, and he’s thrilled to continue his journey in helping the brand while running the best franchise possible.

“It’s getting to be part of a bigger brand than myself, and being a part of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is so huge,” Barnes said. “We’re moving people forward every single day, and me getting to move forward today to eventually own my own franchise is bigger than I can imagine.”

Although only one candidate ultimately wins the scholarship program, we’d like to take the time to recognize the efforts of Multi-Unit Marketing Managers Lauren Trost (Chicago, IL) and Eric Tremble (Dallas, TX), who were runners up in the program. The two candidates put an incredible amount of time and effort in working through the program, and were both awarded $10,000 toward opening a franchise in the future.